MACAU, 13 December 2021: Trip.com Group, a leading global travel service provider, held its 2021 Global Partner Summit in Macao at the weekend.
Adopting the theme “Forward Together”, the summit drew over 1,600 professionals representing every sector of the travel industry. Trip.com Group chairman and co-founder James Liang reinforced the group’s efforts to foster industry efforts geared toward recovery.
Liang believes that as global vaccination rates continue to rise and more countries and regions are opening their borders, international travel will return in the near future.
“This year, we have continued to work with destinations and partners around the world in preparation for the restoration of global travel,” said Liang at the Summit. “The industry as a whole is ready to welcome and facilitate global travellers; we are at the forefront together with partners to support the complete resumption of global travel.”
Commencing on the latest performance figures Trip.com Group CEO, Jane Sun said both domestic hotel bookings and air ticket bookings in mainland China saw double-digit growth in Q2 2021 compared to the same period in 2019.
Trip.com, the group’s global domestic travel platform, saw hotel bookings increase by over 160% in Q3 2021 compared to Q3 2019. Cross-border air ticket bookings in Europe also saw an increase of 200% in Q3 2021 compared to the previous quarter.
“We believe in the power of reciprocity; that’s how we and the entire industry are recovering together,” said Sun. “In markets, and with partners around the world, we see cooperation driving the development of the industry and incredible efforts to bring forth travel recovery.”
During the summit, the Macau Government Tourism Office and Trip.com Group signed for the second year a Memorandum of Understanding to together further promote travel to Macau. In 2021, the partnership saw Macau travel bookings on Trip.com Group platforms increase by 244% in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. The number of travellers to Macau saw a 150% QoQ increase, and “Macau” keyword searches grew by 216% YoY.
Macao Government Tourism Office director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes noted the event fueled the synergy of “tourism + MICE” and spotlights Macao’s advantages as a MICE travel destination, inspiring more high-end business travellers to come to Macao to organise large-scale conferences.
During the summit, industry partners and destinations were recognised for their collaboration with Trip.com Group. Awards acknowledged innovative and collaborative approaches that were geared towards tapping into pent-up travel markets as well as bringing benefits to travellers and stakeholders.
